“And when I step into my office, which is the training centre, and when I compete, especially, I really try to embrace Olive and become that person. That’s how I’ve coped.”

The French and politics graduate from Bath University – where Britain’s modern pentathletes are based – believes the transformation into Olive, who is known to be uncompromising and demanding in the cartoons, can be the difference between success and near-misses.

Murray added: “When it’s gone wrong, I’ve kind of blamed it on me letting Samantha – the human with the insecurities, the doubts, the fears – take over.

“When I’ve had a winning day it’s because Olive’s been present throughout the day.

“It’s really exhausting being an elite athlete and people saying ‘oh, so are you going to win gold in Rio?’ all the time. It is exhausting.

“I’ve been able to switch off and end up being Sam. When it’s the moment to step in, it’s like ‘Olive’s here’. I gradually feel a progression into being her as I prepare for big competitions like a world champs.

“I know I don’t lack focus, I don’t take any prisoners, I don’t get involved with bitchiness in the team, I shut myself down from social media a little bit and make choices about my nutrition and what I do at weekends.

“I just become the character I am in competition, a character that I know I need to be to win.

“I don’t think Olive would be too chatty with anyone. Game face. You wouldn’t want to mess with her.”